Tower of Distortion - 3rd Underground Floor - Forest Biome
Liza walked briskly through the vast forest biome, which reminded her of the forests of her homeland.
It wasn't long before she reached a vast open area with numerous plantations. The crops were diverse, covering a wide variety of common and rare grains. There were also many areas filled with various fruit trees.
This place not only supplied the residents of Tower City, but its surplus was also sold in the Sage Store and even transported to the outskirts of Asshai. Furthermore, unlike the cocoa and sugarcane plantations in Tower City, the plantations on this floor were entirely managed with magic and the labor of many apprentices of the order, pets, and various types of golems powered by the tower's energy.
Several new methods, involving improved cultivation techniques, the use of advanced alchemicals, magical artifacts, and rituals, were implemented by the Order's leader, aiming to produce more food with less space and shorter harvest times.
According to Aisha, if this continued, it wouldn't be long before the average price of a serving of food was greatly reduced throughout the eastern region.
It was only after passing the enormous plantation and the many apprentices who stopped their work to greet her that Liza finally arrived at where she was going today.
A blue artificial lake, smelling of the sea breeze, was visible to her. Within it, a woman with scales on her breasts and groin swam with a sea dragon that was now her size. From time to time, they leaped out of the water in unison.
Katya, swimming with her dragon, constantly used the innate spell she gained upon advancing to her new race: Water Control!
This innate spell allowed her and Omar to control the water within about 10 meters of their surroundings, and since they could now both breathe underwater, they constantly used it to propel themselves and swim even faster.
Soon, Liza arrived at the shore of the artificial lake and found Omar feeding his dragon, which was slightly larger than the one swimming with Katya.
He tossed several fish from a barrel into the air, and the dragon leaped, catching them all without letting any fall to the ground, and swallowing them whole.
"Liza, it's been a while since we've seen each other... To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"
The Velaryon asked his old friend and lover, glancing at the distant Katya swimming.
"I was in seclusion when you returned to Asshai, and I didn't meet you in person, and now I'm about to go into seclusion again. So I wanted to see if you were okay, to see your new and peculiar appearance, and to say goodbye."
"I'm still handsome, right?"
"Are you sure you want to flirt with another woman while your new wife is so close?"
"Hehe..."
Omar gave an awkward laugh and stroked the back of his neck, looking back at the lake.
Then he became serious and said:
"Are you going to try to change your race, too?"
"Yes... That's why I'm leaving. I don't know if I'll succeed. I'm trying to create a very... Hmm... Rafael called it 'ambitious'..."
"Of all of us, you've always worked the hardest at everything you do. Whatever you try, I'm sure you'll succeed!"*
"Thank you! I think it's time for me to go... Say hi to your wife!"
Liza said goodbye when she saw that Katya had already finished her workout/leisure and was walking toward them...
"Liza, just one last thing..."
Liza turned and remained silent, waiting for Omar's words.
"Have you regretted your decision in the past?"
Her eyes widened in surprise at Omar's unexpected question. But she quickly composed herself and replied with a smile:
"Yes, and I lived with that regret for a long time. But today I've moved on and accepted that some mistakes I made in the past can't be corrected, only overcome…"
This time, it was Omar who seemed surprised by his former lover's response, but he merely nodded and watched Liza's back move away.
"Is there a problem?" Katya asked as she approached Omar and saw him with a strange expression.
"It's nothing, she just wanted to ask me a few questions about our race."
"I heard she's going to try to change races too…"
"Yes, she'll start soon…"
***
When Liza returned to the black portal that would take her back to her floor, a shadow golem emerged from the ground beside her and spoke in a feminine voice:
"Liza! It's me, Zaya… Are you still free?"
"Yes, I haven't gone into seclusion… Is there a problem?"
"Yes. Come to the Observation Room as soon as possible."
"I'm on my way!"
Liza then changed her destination, this time heading to the fourth floor of the Distortion Tower.
When Liza arrived in the control room, she heard Zaya arguing with Vitarys:
"I'm only saying this to ensure our safety… I can't use my fire affinity inside the tunnel without putting us in danger, and the wind is also limited," Vitarys said in a worried tone.
"But we're short on Master-level manpower. I've already called Rafael, I'll speak to him first," Zaya said apologetically.
"Liza, you're here, look—"
Before Vitarys could explain anything to her, Rafael also arrived, interrupting her speech.
"What's wrong? What's the emergency?" he asked, looking at Zaya.
"Leader of the Order, about an hour ago, there was an accident at the exit of our tunnel near Asshai, and we lost the life signal of the apprentice guarding the place. In response, I sent three apprentices, including a Red Leader. And now one of them is dead, and the other two haven't sent any kind of response yet."
"It could be a powerful beast, or someone found out about the tunnel..." Rafael said thoughtfully, one hand stroking his chin.
"In that situation, protocol would be to send two Masters in response. But Vitarys said that fighting in the tunnel would be very disadvantageous for him, and it would put him and Liza in danger if a Master ambushed them. In that case, I decided to go with them, but I wanted you to find someone to stay in the Observation Room while I'm away..."
"Hasn't John returned from his exploration of the ShadowLands yet?"
"Not yet, and since Jack is the only Master guarding the Yin Yang Tower, I can't summon him. You also asked to keep Omar and Katya out of missions until they get used to their new bodies…"
"There's no need for you to go, Zaya; I'll go with them."
"Are you sure, Leader of the Order? Do you want to issue a summons for a few more apprentices to accompany you?"
"No need, the three of us will be enough… Let's go!"
Rafael moved toward the portal to exit the Tower, and Liza and Vitarys simply nodded to Zaya and followed Rafael in silence.
Zaya turned her eyes to some crystal balls, trying again to observe the tunnel clairvoyantly, but she wasn't so good with that kind of magic, so she just waited for Rafael and the others to arrive to get answers.
At the speed of the three Masters, they should have reached the tunnel entrance in less than 40 minutes. But 50 minutes had already passed, and there had been no communication from them.
Zaya began biting her nails as she frequently checked the Order Sages' life talismans.
And soon, one of the most horrifying things to witness in the Observation Room happened...
The life totems of two Order Sages were destroyed together, less than two seconds apart, signifying their deaths... And less than 10 minutes later, two more totems shattered, signifying that two more Order Sages had died again, with a fifth totem riddled with cracks on the verge of breaking.
Zaya did everything in her power, immediately alerting the surviving Order Sages to come to the aid of their allies after the destruction of the first two totems, but when the third and fourth totems were destroyed, she knew all she could do now was shed tears as she realized she would never see her precious friends again...
****
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